For Father's Day
by Willowbright
Summary: In a sentimental reading mood, Makoto browses their home library. Her eyes drift over an old book which stirs up beloved childhood memories of her father. For Makoto Niijima Week 2019: Books


**For Father's Day**

When the clock struck five, the living room of the Amamiya residence basked in sunlight, brightening the milky beige walls and ceiling with its golden light, making it an ideal place to read. Makoto browsed the shelves of the living room library. Their book collection varied from sci-fi to historical biographies, high fantasy to spy thrillers, to books on law, mathematics, astronomy, and cooking. The lowest shelf contained several manga volumes of their favorite series.

Her eyes roved over the shelf dedicated to books about the great adventures and/or misadventures of famous rebels, bookended by a brass statue of a caped Gentleman Thief on one end and a marble figurine of a benevolent Popess, her hand raised in blessing on the other. _The Great Thief_, _Pirate Legend_, _Zorro the Outlaw_, _The Alluring Dancer_, _The Gallant Rogue_, _The Illusory Popess_, _Cry of Cthulhu_,_Woman in the Dark_. She smiled as she read each title and moved on to the nonfiction section of their sizable library. Here, sat a small collection of old books, many of them out of print, a few of them considered collectible. And in the middle of that small collection, was a book from the Edo period, its binding a traditional Japanese stab bind of the Yotsume Toji (Four Eye Binding) variant, its color a faded bamboo green. It was a book Makoto had not seen nor touched for a long time though she knew it was there. She drew it from the shelf and settled on the couch soaking in the buttery warmth of the sun. She stretched out her legs and propped a cushion under her feet and began to read. Its pages were well-worn, each fold, each wrinkle was familiar to her for they were made by her father's hands. She smoothed out one of the creases and flipped the book to one of the chapters her father liked reading aloud.

"Shinsengumi Regulations or the Kyokuchu Hatto…" She traced her finger over the highlighted rules.

_-Do not betray the bushido creed (士道ニ背キ間敷事)._

_-Do not desert the troop (局ヲ脱スルヲ不許)._

_-Do not willfully obtain funds (勝手ニ金策致不可)._

_-Do not willfully get involved in disputes (勝手ニ訴訟取扱不可)._

_-Do not engage in personal fights (私ノ闘争ヲ不許)._

_Personnel in breach of the aforementioned conditions will be ordered to undergo seppuku!_

"Kyokuchu Hatto, first clause: Do not betray the bushido creed." Officer Niijima recited the Shinsengumi Clauses in a low, gruff voice, befitting of vice-captain Toshizou Hijikata, who allegedly authored the Shinsengumi Regulations. "...Personnel in breach of the aforementioned conditions will be ordered to undergo seppuku!"

"It's seppuku for you!" Makoto burst into the living room, swinging around her Buchimaru-kun plushie. Her tiny feet pitter-pattered over the smooth tiles and back onto carpet as she circled the sofa where her father sat.

"And for the Yakuza, if you break the rules or go back on a promise - PYAH!" She karate chopped Buchimaru-kun's paw. "You lose your pinky! And that means you won't be able to make any more pinky promises!"

Officer Niijima set the book down on his knee and pointed at her stuffed panda. "But you just chopped off poor Buchimaru-kun's whole paw."

"That's 'cause Buchimaru-kun doesn't have fingers. But I can make it better, see?" Makoto kneaded the paw till it puffed back to normal.

"Well, thank goodness for that." He tousled her hair. "Buchimaru-kun didn't do anything to deserve that did he?"

She shook her head back and forth. "Mm-mmm. Buchimaru-kun is a good panda! He's also my partner so he's really good at demonstrating stuff. Isn't that right, Buchimaru-kun?"

Makoto made the stuffed panda's head bob up and down in agreement.

"Father, I'm going now."

Sae entered the living room with a bundle of disposable work gloves, hand sanitizer, and trashbags under her arm. She made a quick stop at the kitchen to refill her water bottle then packed everything into her bag. Officer Niijima checked the time.

"Volunteer work today? Be safe."

"Yes, the student committee will be beautifying Inokashira Park for the entire afternoon. I should be back before evening."

"Alright. Take care."

Sae girded her bag and slipped her keys into her pocket, mentally ticking of her checklist of things to-do. Officer Niijima laid the book on the coffee table and went to see her off.

"Sae," he called as she put on her shoes. "Make sure you know where everyone is at all times."

She nodded gravely. "I will. I'm off."

Makoto squeezed past her father and opened the door for her sister. "Bye-bye, Sis! Have fun!"

Sae smiled and patted her little sister on the head. "Watch the house while I'm gone, okay?"

Makoto responded with her biggest nod and her biggest smile. "You can count on me!"

Sae waved goodbye, squared her shoulders, and broke into a brisk walk as soon as her feet hit the pavement.

After locking the door, Officer Niijima settled back into his chair and resumed his reading. Makoto refilled his mug with green tea.

"Father, are you reading about the Shinsengumi again?"

He scooped her up into his lap. "Yes, while their creed is by and large literary embellishment - that is, it's mostly fictional, you'll see those same principles still apply to law enforcement today."

"Even the seppuku?"

"Not exactly," he murmured, trying to steer his innocent daughter away from any more talk of said cruel and unusual punishment. "However, if someone did break the rules they were punished swiftly, according to their crimes. You see how seriously the police adhered to the law by following these strict regulations. How could the police settle arguments and disputes if they didn't have unity amongst themselves?"

Makoto nodded solemnly, reading each Regulation. Her father placed the book in her hands and he watched her read and reread the same page while he drank his tea.

"So many rules," she murmured. "It must be hard to remember them all..."

"And what do you think the main point of having all these rules is?"

She looked at him. He set his tea down on the side table.

"Do we just follow rules just because they're there?"

Her brows knitted together and she shook her head. She remembered having this conversation before.

"No, because…" she began slowly. "Like at school, there's no fighting allowed. If everyone just threw chalk and called people names, school would be a sad place. Lunchtime wouldn't be fun either. And then, um, the teacher wouldn't be able to teach. And we wouldn't be able to learn."

"That's why she makes the bad kids stand out in the hall."

She nodded. "And she's so fast when she catches them it's scary!"

Then she frowned.

"But even after getting punished they just keep doing it. It's like they never learn." She fingered the folds of her dress. "Father, is it hard being a policeman?"

"It can be tough at times but thankfully, we don't have to go at it alone. That's why I have my team. We look out for each other and we make sure no one makes a bad decision on their own."

He smiled and placed a reassuring hand on her back. "Someday you'll meet a group of people who care for you as much as you care for them. People you can call close friends. And when you find them, you must never forsake them."

"Forsake?"

"For example, what if they're in trouble?"

"I'd help them! Because they're my friends!" she replied with zero hesitancy.

Her father nodded approvingly.

"And if someone is bullying them I'd take them down and make them apologize!" She made two tiny fists and bashed her knuckles together.

"Makoto."

She heard the warning tone in his voice.

"I mean, I'd tell the teacher first." she added sheepishly. "Or you."

She hopped off his lap. "Refill time for father!"

When she returned, her father had emptied his cup and was reading the next chapter of the book. After filling his cup she scrambled onto his lap. Officer Niijima then looked a little wistful as he imagined what lay in store for his daughter. "And then, someday you might meet a dependable and trustworthy man. Someone you respect. Someone you want to be your husband."

"But I don't need a husband. I have you and Sis." She smiled widely and hugged his arm.

"Thank you, Makoto. Your father is very happy to hear that." he said, chuckling a low chuckle. "But don't rule that out just yet."

He flipped back a few pages and Makoto watched him attentively.

"Makoto, look at this." He pointed to one of the words on the page. "Can you read this character? It's what the Shinsengumi inscribed on their headbands and also on the back of their haori."

She pursed her lips and thought and thought with all her might, wanting to please her father. After a few moments she groaned and shook her head. Officer Niijima smiled and patted her head. "It's the same as your name, 'makoto' (誠)."

She looked back and forth between the kanji and her father. "But that's not how you write my name. My name is written like um, like..." She wiggled her fingers in the air, trying to remember the kanji but wound up air-writing "Makoto" (まこと) in hiragana.

"You're right. However, they both have the same meaning: truth or sincerity. This is how you write your name (真) and this is how you write their word for 'truth' (誠)."

He took her right hand and traced her finger on the table for her name and then for the Shinsengumi's "truth" in the correct stroke order. She giggled. "My name is easier to remember."

"I won't argue with that. But did you know, your name can be read as 'shin'?"

"So my name could replace the 'shin' in 'Shinsengumi'? That's so cool!"

He chuckled. "It'd take on a whole new meaning. Instead of "new corps" it would be 'truth corps'. By the way, the 'nii' in our last name, 'Niijima' (新島) is the same character as the 'shin' in 'Shinsengumi' (新撰組)."

Officer Niijima did not read Shonen Jump but some of his younger co-workers did while on patrol. Or on stakeouts. Or on much needed coffee breaks. And if they did overhear this conversation, they would have told him there was a certain series currently serialized in Jump that featured the Shinsengumi protecting the Country of Samurai from aliens and anti-shogunate rebels. This Shinsengumi did indeed use "真" in their name, "Shinsengumi" (真選組) which would be translated as 'truth corps'.

Makoto leaned against her father, processing what she just learned about the Shinsengumi and its multiple meanings depending on the kanji. Her father watched her as she traced her name on her palm. His eyes crinkled from the proud smile he wore on his face. He straightened himself, cleared his throat, and held the book up at arm's length.

"From the top: Do not betray the bushido creed."

"Nooo, growly voice! Read it in your growly voice!"

Officer Niijima laughed. "Alright, first clause…"

...

Makoto heard the curtains from their bedroom billow softly in the wind. She tugged on the blinds of the living room windows and opened the windows halfway, receiving the flow of the cool evening wind. It was a mysterious but welcoming sensation of how the wind always felt good against bare skin.

Makoto settled back down on the couch and went back to the chapter on Shinsengumi Regulations. She smiled to herself, now reminiscing more than reading as she ran her index finger along the lines of the book.

"Kyokuchu Hatto, first clause: Do not betray the bushido creed." came a low, gruff voice behind her.

She gasped and whirled around to find herself face to face with her husband who appeared half-asleep, for he blinked very, very slowly. Ren leaned on the back of the couch, propping his head up on the flat of his palm. He gazed at her dreamily. His hair was a tangled mess, the sweat-stained dress shirt he wore was half-buttoned and its collar was twisted and wrinkled. One of the cuffs to his dress shirt came unfastened and the sleeve crumpled and drooped, further adding to his drowsy and disheveled appearance.

She gaped at him.

"Yo." he said, smiling at her lazily.

Wordlessly, she kissed him on the cheek. That woke him up. He blinked several times and stared at her, dumbstruck.

"Good evening," she intoned, smiling pleasantly. "Did you have a nice nap?"

He laughed and brushed his hair back. "Yeah, I uh...I'm a bad husband. We were supposed to go out but I just conked out on the bed."

"It couldn't be helped. You did just get back from a week long trip from Nagano, after all."

"Yeah, discussing matters with Internal Affairs is something else." He yawned and rolled his neck. "Well, I'm awake now. Let's get some fresh air. I need an energy boost."

"It's a nice evening for a walk. We might even see some fireflies." She lovingly pinched his cheek. He grunted softly. "But first, go wash your face. You still have sleep in your eyes."

He thumbed some away. "Ah, you're right. Be right back. You mind getting the keys for the front door?"

She produced them from her pocket. He grinned.

"Don't take too long." she smirked. "I'll get our shoes too."

"Thanks." He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before he rose and headed for the bathroom. He took a few steps then stopped.

"Hey, Makoto?"

"Yes, Ren?"

"Tell me about that book you were reading."

Her expression softened and she looked a little misty-eyed. "Sure."

The door to the bathroom shut and she could hear water being drawn from the sink.

She gently shut the book and ran her hand along the title. It was all so very mystifying. These memories that could be evoked upon seeing her father's book, memories she hadn't touched on for years and yet she could remember it so vividly -

There was a bump, a rattling of glass bottles, then a holler for his wife, followed by a, "never mind".

Washcloth. Found. Crisis averted.

She smiled to herself and shook her head.

_I wish you could meet him, Father. I know you would have liked him and I'm certain you two would have a lot to talk about. He has a strong sense of justice like you and he can't ignore those in need. Even after all the hardship he's gone through, he still continues to help people. Not once have I seen him play the victim of his circumstances. He soldiers on and it encourages me to do the same. And he can be incredibly sweet...when he's not trying to show off. I just never thought there would be another man in my life who would become so important to me. _

_With each year that passes, I know he's the one I want to learn about and experience new things with forever. Father, I was able to change because of him. I found the place where I belong and he helped me discover the path I wish to walk. That's where I am right now. That's where we both are right now, supporting one another. _

_And I want you to know, from what we went through together - when we were up against the society itself, I was able to better understand what you and Sis were fighting for. I too, want to protect those important to me no matter what comes my way. Now when I look back, I can say that I'm proud of the person I've become._

With care, Makoto slid the book back into place in the bookshelf of their living room. She sighed wistfully and took one step back to look around the room. The books sat quietly on the shelves, photos of friends and family winked back pleasantly, and the broad leaves of their houseplant rustled in the wind, bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun.

It was one of those Sundays where everything felt bright and warm and peaceful.

"Happy Father's Day," she whispered.

The wind carried the pleasant scent of a cool summer evening. She breathed it in, feeling it invigorate her. She could resume reading later but now it was time for an evening stroll.

Makoto laced up her sneakers and waited by the door, looking forward to speaking with Ren about his trip, her week, and the fond memories brought back by her father's book.


End file.
